Imperial Dyansty

Imperial Dyansty has received some pretty impressive awards--and rightly so, I'd say. I went here for lunch recently--my first visit--with coworkers Dale and Bob. I'm so glad Dale suggested this place--I know I'll be back again soon.

We ordered off the lunch menu though the dinner menu has similar item (but I'd guess a larger portion). The menu is pretty extensive and they even have Sushi prepared right there. It took a while to let the whole menu soak in. So many choices! But eventually we ordered both lunch specials and soup.

As soon as we sat down, a bowl of fried wonton chips with some duck sauce arrived. It was plenty tasty and we promptly cleaned them up!

For soup, I had the Hot and Sour soup, generally a favorite of mine. It was very good. So good, in fact, that after Dale tasted mine, she changed her mind about the Won Ton soup she'd ordered. Upon summoning our waiter, Princess Dale asked if she could switch. No problem! And quickly her Won Ton soup was replaced with Hot and Sour. Now that is good service! (Bob, by the way, enjoyed his Won Ton soup and said it was very good.) But, back to the Hot and Sour--it was very good. There were lots of ingredients in it, but many were still distinct--tofu, chicken, mushrooms, etc. I thought it was pretty decent soup. It was not as hot (as in spicy) as some I've had, but still plenty good. Upon finishing the bowl of soup, I was left wanting more--a good sign.

For their entree, both Bob and Dale ordered the Combination Egg Foo Young. They both said it was very good, though Dale did later wish she had not changed her mind and had instead ordered the Shrimp Foo Young. Still, the both liked it. I had a taste too and it was very good. They had the fried rice to go-with.

I ordered the Sesame Chicken with Fried Rice. I would say that it was pretty gosh darned good. I'm used to having Sesame Chicken with some sort of gravy-like coating on it, and this was mostly dry--there was just a bit of a flavorful sauce here and there. Still, it was plenty good. The Chicken was nicely cook, the sesame coating mostly crispy and tasty. It was obvious that it had been cooked just a moment before being served. The fried rice was also pretty good though I'm sure had been prepared en masse a bit earlier. I had some of the house mustard to go-with and that was very good too, quite hot and spicy. 

Three bowls of soup and three lunch specials (with water) and our total bill came to about $23. Not bad at all. Our waiter was very attentive and knew the menu well. He answered all our questions and was there to sevice us each time we needed something. I managed to eat the whole lunch, though I'm not sure where I put it all. Dale and Bob were much smarter and had enough left to take home and enjoy a second time. 

Imperial Dynasty was fairly busy at lunch time, a testament to the good food. I'd certainly like to come back for dinner some time, maybe wiht a group so we could order family style. In watching some of the dishes that were served to other diners, and in surveying the scene on the way out, the food all looked very good. I can see why Imperial Dynasty has gotten good reviews and won award after award time and time again. Great Chinese food in the Lake Mary area, for sure!